McCoy Farm & Gardens Newsletter

Volume Ten: Issue TwelvexxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxDecember 2025

McCoy Tree Lighting

Thursday, December 4, 5:00-7:00 pm

Join us on Thursday, December 4, as we continue a tradition started over 75 years ago, when the Bachman-McCoy family displayed a giant Christmas tree with lights visible from Anderson Pike.

The festively-decorated Bachman-McCoy House will be open at 5:00 pm, and Santa will arrive about 5:15 pm in a tractor-pulled hay wagon. He will then be available for photos and to hear everyone’s wish list. In the house, visitors will find docents ready to answer questions about the property's history. Visit the dining room filled with "Merry Markdowns" of Christmas china and giftware. Unlike previous years, this will not be a silent auction but a festive sale, with items discounted by 40% to 75% of their retail value.

You’ll also find other treasures for your holiday shopping, such as McCoy honey, t-shirts, and water bottles, Emma Bell Miles prints, and, new this year, cedar bird feeders handcrafted by McCoy volunteer Terry Knox. We’ll have a limited number of the new children’s book, “Emma Bell Miles and the Mystery of the Shoe Flower,” and calendars from Anne Davis, plus watercolor artwork from Tina Hullender, and Signal-themed wares from Signal Souvenirs. A special pinecone craft will be available on the porch.

For the fourth year, the event is co-sponsored by the Towns of Walden and Signal Mountain, along with Rent All and the Wendy’s at Dayton Boulevard. To keep everyone warm, elected officials will serve complimentary hot chocolate, and Wendy’s chili will be sold from the kitchen. At 6:00 pm, Santa will lead the crowd in the countdown to light the 30-foot-tall American holly tree, followed by a chorus of "O’ Christmas Tree." Don’t miss this annual kickoff to the holiday season!

Annual Fund Underway

As we launch our 2025 Annual Fund Drive, we want to express our deep gratitude for the generosity that has sustained our work for the past ten years. Individual donors like you provide an essential 22% of our operating budget each year, making it possible for us to continue restoring and improving the property and further developing community programming.

In 2025, we rebuilt the Serpentine Wall, painted the Bachman-McCoy House, achieved listing in the National Register of Historic Places, expanded the trail system to 2.4 miles, offered educational classes for children and adults, welcomed several hundred school children for field trips, established a hybrid American chestnut test site, and much more.

Every contribution helps strengthen our mission and ensures we can continue this work for the decade ahead. Thank you for being an integral part of our story.

Did you know? If you’re 70½ or older, you can make a donation to McCoy Farms & Gardens directly from your IRA through a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD). This simple giving option allows your gift to count toward your Required Minimum Distribution—without increasing your taxable income. It’s an easy, tax-smart way to support McCoy's mission while potentially lowering your overall tax burden.

Talk with your financial advisor to see if a QCD is a good fit for you.

Looking Backward

2015

What a remarkable 10 years it has been! We are grateful to Charlie Stone for having the foresight to photograph an early visit to the Bachman-McCoy Farm in 2015.

What's Coming Up

Tree Lighting

Thursday, December 4,

5:00-7:00 pm

Start your holiday season with our own "Hallmark Moment" on Walden's Ridge. Hot chocolate will be served compliments of the Town of Walden.

Open Houses

Sunday, December 7 and 14

2:00-4:00 pm.

Join us for an afternoon of fascinating stories of the property and the people who have called it home.

Honey, bird feeders, blue bird houses, and other McCoy merchandise will be available for sale.

Emma Bell Miles Children's Book

Reading & Signing

Sunday, December 7, 3:00 pm

Come hear author Anne Davis read Emma Bell Miles and the Mystery of the Shoe Flower in the Bachman-McCoy House. Pre-ordered books will be available to pick up and a limited number of copies will be available for sale.

Contact McCoy Farm & Gardens

at katie@mccoywalden.org

to learn more about renting space at McCoy for your next event.

Or mail your check to

McCoy Farm & Gardens, P.O. Box 443, Signal Mountain, TN 37377.

McCoy Farm & Gardens is grateful to our Annual Sponsors, whose support allows the continued restoration and improvement of the property and buildings, as well as the expansion of McCoy's programming. If you are interested in more information about becoming an Annual Sponsor, please check out our Partners page on our website or contact the office at 423-598-1658.

McCoy Farm & Gardens encompasses 38 acres and features the Bachman-McCoy home, gardens, and several outbuildings, including the Pavilion, Carriage House, Barn, and Blacksmith Workshop. Our Level 2 Arboretum contains 72 species. With over 2 miles of trails, the grounds also include the site of the former home of artist, poet, and naturalist Emma Bell Miles.